Ramadan 101

Ramadan: The ninth month of the Islamic calendar is a holy time when Muslims fast and renew their faith with Allah (God).

Five Pillars of Islam: Shahadah (testimony that there is no God but God and Muhammad is his final messenger), Salah (five daily prayers), Zakat (charitable giving, often equal to 2.5 percent of a persons earnings) Sawm (fasting during Ramadan) and Hajj (a mandatory pilgrimage to Mecca by all able Muslims).

Tarweeh: The entire Quran is recited during Ramadan, with one of the 30 sections being read on each of the month’s 30 nights. The prayer is optional.

Sahoor: The morning meal is eaten before dawn. It is the last time Muslims will eat or drink until sunset.

Iftar: The break fast meal is eaten when the sun sets.

Laylat al-Qadr: The anniversary of the first verse of the Quran being revealed to the Prophet Muhammad occurs sometime during the last 10 days or Ramadan. Muslims believe prayers are more powerful on this night.

Eid al-Fitr: A holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan. Muslims are not permitted to fast on this day.

As the sun begins to set behind the houses across the street from Hiro Hayashi's east Tustin home Tuesday, the first day of Ramadan and the 26-year-old's first-ever fast are both nearing an end.

The son of a Japanese-American man who grew up with Buddhist leanings and a Korean American woman who was adopted by a Catholic family, Hayashi isn't the Muslim face that Americans often envision. But two months ago, searching for something sacred, he converted to Islam.

Since then he has been nervously excited about Ramadan, a holy month in which observant Muslims fast from dawn to dusk in accordance with the Quran.

He's learned much since his conversion, but it's all still new for the Orange County native who grew up as a Boy Scout, an altar boy and a football player for a Catholic high school.

His first day has been relatively easy so far, he says. He feels surprisingly energized. And as he begins to twist the cap off a Powerade bottle he has been holding, he catches himself and stops. He's still learning. Faithful Muslims refrain from drinking during the day in Ramadan.

Hayashi began his day when he awoke at 4 a.m., scarfed down a breakfast of eggs, cheese, chicken and a tortilla, and chugged four bottles of water. He prayed, went back to sleep, awoke a few hours later and spent the day at his job as an admissions counselor at National University. There, he took time to recite his daily prayers and skipped his normal lunch with co-workers, but otherwise went about his job as usual.

Tonight, hungry for food and the company of fellow Muslims, he's headed to the Islamic Center of Irvine to pray and for Iftar, the evening meal that breaks each day's fast.

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When Hayashi first read the Quran, he admits being amazed to discover that the book wasn't about terrorism.

Surrounded by what he called "the media frenzy," Hayashi's understanding of Islam came from the news he saw on television, villains portrayed in movies and video games, and even a video he had seen online of men uttering a Muslim prayer before beheading a captive.

Seeking to learn the full story, Hayashi began watching online scholarly lectures that debunked misconceptions of Islam. Soon, he began reading the Quran.

"When I read the chapter about what a good Muslim was," Hayashi says, "it just fit my core values."

Though he always viewed himself as spiritual person, he had trouble connecting to organized religion. And as he grew older, spirituality wasn't enough.

"I always thought that it's all about having a good heart" Hayashi says. "But I wasn't doing anything to make a difference in the world. I wasn't going out of my way to really sacrifice something of myself to help another human being. That was one of the core teachings of Islam is that it's not just about your intentions, but your actual deeds. So you have to actually prove that you are a good person."

Ahmed Elmalky, one of the people helping teach Hayashi what it means to be a Muslim, greets him outside the mosque. Elmalky is an Irvine resident, a senior manager at Toyota Motor Sales and Hayashi's mentor.

"Islam is a way of life," Elmalky says. "It guides you through every part of your life. Everything you do is for a spiritual reason."

Related Links

Hiro Hayashi, third from right, prays with other muslims at the Irvine Islamic Center mosque in observance of Ramadan. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Hiro Hayashi of Tustin, a recent convert to Islam, is observing his first Ramadan. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
As he enters the mosque at the Irvine Islamic Center, Hiro Hayashi is offered a date to break his fast as he observes his first Ramadan as a recent convert to Islam. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Hiro Hayashi, center, a recent convert to Islam, prays at the Irvine Islamic Center mosque after having fasted all day in observance of Ramadan. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Hiro Hayashi, center, a recent convert to Islam, stands with his mentor, Ahmed Elmalky, left, as they wait with other Muslims for iftar, which means "breaking your fast." Iftar is one of the observances of Ramadan and his taken right after Maghrib, the fourth of five daily prayers. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Hiro Hayashi is served iftar to break his fast after prayers at the Irvine Islamic Center on the first day of Ramadan. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Hiro Hayashi, a recent convert to Islam, takes iftar, the meal that is eaten to break the fast during Ramadan. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Hiro Hayashi, center, of Tustin breaks his fast with his mentor Ahmed Elmaky, left, after prayers at the Irvine Islamic Center on the first day of Ramadan. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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